What Is Vision Therapy - Mayfair Eye Care

WHAT IS VISION THERAPY?

Vision therapy is that part of optometric care devoted to developing, improving and enhancing a person’s visual performance.

Vision Therapy sessions include procedures designed to enhance the brain’s ability to control:

Tracking or eye movement skills
Focusing skills (sustaining and shifting focus)
Eye coordination or binocularity
Visual perception or processing skills
Visual-motor skills and endurance are developed through the use of specialized optical devices, including therapeutic lenses, prisms, and filters.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN A VISION THERAPY PROGRAM?

Patients typically come to the office once every two weeks for thirty minutes each visit. In addition, a workbook and equipment is included which contains instruction for activities to be done at home to reinforce what was learned during the office therapy sessions.

HOW DO I GET ASSESSED FOR VISION THERAPY?

Your Optometrist will complete an in-depth analysis and testing in the areas of difficulty, which may last up to three hours. Your Vision Therapy program is administered in our office under direct guidance of our doctor with an experienced and trained vision therapist. Vision therapy does require a number of office visits over a period of time ranging from several weeks to a number of months. During each visit, your progress will be assessed, and you will be taught your new home exercises and activities. Home involvement and compliance is absolutely necessary for our patients, as we currently offer limited just ‘in-office’ vision therapy.

IS VISION THERAPY NEW?

Vision therapy is actually a part of the specialty of orthoptics. Orthoptics, which literally means “straightening of the eyes,” was introduced to this country by physicians in the mid 1800s.

Optometrists in the mid 1900’s took the best that orthoptics had to offer, and pioneered the development of modern vision therapy.

AN EXAMPLE OF VISION THERAPY RESULTS

Here is an example from a young patient who came to Mayfair Eye Care and due to significant tracking and perceptual delays, was unable to sufficiently draw basic shapes. After only a few productive vision therapy sessions and time spent working on her activities, her newly trained vision skills supported her drawing and writing. The results were specific to her experience only but show an example of what vision therapy can do.